Origine: Northern India, likely around Kedarnath, probable owner name given on the last folios: [X]prītālālacandra, author: unknown, scribe: unknown.

Période: Between 1700 and 1800, likely towards 1800.

Support: Handmade paper.

Volume:
X + 82 + XIII ff.

Format: 21 x 31 cm

Numérotation des pages: The pages do not have any foliation or pagination.

Etat: Excellent. Manuscript is incomplete, but decorated with more than 60 miniatures, thereof 44 full page paintings.

Mise en page:
1 column per folio, approx. 15 lines per page

Type d'écritures et copistes:

Devanāgarī, close to modern form.

The whole manuscript was written by a single person. It is unknown if the scribe and the painter were the same or different people. We assume that they were different people.

Text is written in black ink, with red ink used for colophons, speakers, mantras and the numbers of verses.

Décoration:

Each page has a frame with red and black lines and yellow colored.

The manuscript has a large number of miniature paintings, depicting the story of pilgrimage of a group yogis to various Himalayan temples and sacred spots. The miniature paintings faithfully illustrate every step of that pilgrimage and depict all sacred places that these yogis visited.

Ajouts: Corrections in the text: at marked instances the text was corrected with white color paint.

Reliure:
The manuscript is made as a book. This binding is rather typical for the North-Indian manuscripts of the late half of the 18th century.

Langue principale: Sanskrit, at times corrupted.

Sommaire:

This text is called Kedārakalpa, and it presents its own attribution in the following manner: it says that it is a part of the Nandīpurāṇa (also called, and evidently by scribal mistake, of the "Nandīkeśvarapurāṇa" in the colophons of the chapters 2-4.) In the text it is said to belong to "śiva-naṃdi-saṃvāde", i.e. to the dialogue taking place between god Śiva and Nandī, or a bull-headed yogi, ch. 2. This dialogue is characterized in chapters 11, 13-15 as "Īśvara-skanda-saṃvāda" (spelling corrected), as "Śambhu-skanda-saṃvāda" in chapters 19-25, 27, and as "Śiva-skanda-saṃvāda" in chapter 26. All three characterizations mean "dialogue between god Śiva and his son Skanda".

In order to define the attribution/self-affiliation, date and provenance of our manuscript, we need to investigate the two terms: the Nandīpurāṇa and the Kedārakalpa.

The Nandīpurāṇa has survived in a large number of manuscripts, and at least 2 different editons are known (see bibliography). The edition Nāṃdipurāṇam 2010 does not contain the Kedārakalpa, and has a very different set of speakers. The Gujarati edition has not been checked, but it does not appear to contain the Kedārakalpa either based on the description by Rocher. (Note: Rocher (p. 200-201): “This text, in fifty-two adhyayas, is actually a caste purāṇa. It was composed for the glorification of the Nandimukha or Nandavana brahmans of Gujarat and part of Rajputana around Puskara in Ajmer. It describes how these brahmans abandoned their original way of life, and became merchants. Based on their different gotras the Nandimukhas are divided into eleven groups; some are Vaisnava, others Śaiva, and others Śākta.")

The Nandīpurāṇa has been dated by Ludo Rocher to ca. 6th-7th century CE (Note: Rocher 1986, citing p. 200-201: K. V. Rangaswami Aiyangar: Nandipurāṇa, NIA 4, 1941-42, 157-161; - Hazra: The Nandi-purāṇa, JGJRI 2, 1944-45, 305-320; - Hazra 1954: 31; - Kane 1962: 890-891; - Hazra: 1963: 474-488; - NCC 9 (1977), 334-335; - B.P. Pandya: some remarks on the title "Nandī-purāṇa", JOIB 28, 1978-79, 48-55.), but none of the known manuscripts of the Nandīpurāṇa or of the Kedārakalpa can be dated that early. Rocher writes that "even though many verses from it have been quoted in the dharmanibandhas, no manuscript has yet been found. It has been dated in the sixth or seventh century (Hazra), or the eighth or ninth century (Kane)." The disappearance of the root-text of the Nandīpurāṇa is "one of the unsolved riddles in Puranic history". (Note: K. V. Rangaswami Aiyangar, op. cit. 161.)

The only definite affirmation that Hazra made about the "original" Nandīpurāṇa is the fact that its speakers are Śiva, Skanda and Nandī. (Note: Hazra, 1963: 474-488.)Hazra declared the original text to be a śaiva work, inducing the worship of śivaliṅga and providing the sectarian śaiva mantras, p. 480-481. (Note: He insists particularly on the OṂ NAMAḤ ŚIVĀYA.)

What we have here (Bodmer 708) is precisely a text, which claims to be a part of that mythical Nandīpurāṇa, and whose set of speakers, the śaiva character and the śaiva mantras would fit the description by Hazra given above of the “original” Nandīpurāṇa. However, it is not impossible that the Kedārakalpa tries to link itself to the Nandīpurāṇa not because it really formed a part of the “original” Nandīpurāṇa, but in order to instantly gain authority. This is quite typical for the late Sanskrit texts.

The situation with the Kedārakalpa is best described in NCC. It has 24 occurrences of the Kedārakalpa in published 39 vols., we can conclude from these references that Kedārakalpa is included in some very different texts, and that is why Hazra saw the Kedārakalpa as independent from the original Nandīpurāṇa.

In the NCC the main entry of the Kedārakalpa belongs to vol. 5, p. 30f. The authors of the NCC separate Kedārakalpa mss into 3 groups:

1.
of which nothing is known

2.
with tantric attribution

3.
with purāṇic attribution

It has not been verified if all these Kedārakalpas have the same text, or different texts or versions. What is important to note, is the fact, that when the texts refer to as "dialogue of Śiva and Skanda" or "Śiva and Nandī" or "Devī and Śiva", etc., they appear to be to the very same text, that we have here. The authors of the NCC, vol. 5, p. 30, describe it as follows: "The covered by these three sections and three Saṃvādas form part of the same text that describes the great journey (mahāpatha) from Kailasa and beyond through Kedara and other shrines en route." (Note: NCC refers to the same RASB : "See particularly RASB. V. 4133 and the extensive extrs. given there. Probably the first two sets of texts given as unspecified and tantra are identical with this.") Thus, we can assume that the Kedārakalpa as text was included in many bigger texts as a semi-independent part, but when it has Śiva, Skanda and Nandī as speakers, and tells the story of the pilgrimage in the Himalaya, it is the same text as in Bodmer 708.

The Kedārakalpa survived also in a number of independent manuscripts.

NGMCP has 21 mss with the same title, E1850/2 is the earliest among the dated ones, it is NS 800 (~1680 CE). This date can be preliminary assumed as the terminus ante quem for the Kedārakalpa manuscripts.

Other evidence that would argue for the early (earlier than 1680) date of our Kedārakalpa as a text (and not as a manuscript) include:

1.
The mantras given in the text are very ancient and rather basic. These are not tantric, i.e. not śākta-tantric. The purāṇic texts are dated usually based on the presence of the tantric elements: more tantric elements are an indication of rather late character of the text. This would argue for a rather ancient character of the text.

2.
The textual presentation is rather naive and is close to the Ur-Skandapurāṇa (Note: Ed. of Bakker, etc.), considered so far to be the most ancient purāṇic text that came down to us, and dated to ca. 6th-7th century AD.

3.
The sacred places glorified in this text are known from the earliest purāṇas, such as the Vāyupurāṇa and the (Ur-)Skandapurāṇa.

The fact that would argue against the early character of this present manuscript is its rather corrupted Sanskrit.

Further comparative analysis is needed in order to clarify the position of this very interesting text. (Note: Same conclusion is suggested by Whitmore, who recently wrote a PhD on the history of worship of the Kedarnath as a sacred place, see the dissertation of Whitmore, 2010. Whitmore has located 2 printed editions of the Kedārakalpa.)

Conventions for the partial transcript done by Olga Serbaeva, 2017.03.02:

Simple text = what is in the manuscript, with minor corrections

In [ ], my additions and various emendations, such as

number of folios, example [1v]

[+X] is an addition of the missing syllable or a part suggested by me.

[-X] is a deleting of an unnecessary or repeated part

[/X], other possible reading in [ ]

The text is not complete: last complete chapter is 27, the chapter 28 is unfinished: we have verses till v. 91, but no colophon.

fol. V10r, painting: Gaṇeśa is sitting on the throne, accompanied by his vehicle, a mouse/rat down in the middle of the picture. Behind the thrones are two female servants of Gaṇeśa holding plates of sweets. In front of the throne are two princesses, and the goddess Sarasvatī holding a vīṇā, i.e. a musical instrument and a book. She is sitting on a bird which looks like a crane, but is usually supposed to be a haṃsa, i.e. swan. The gods, i.e. Gaṇeśa and Sarasvatī are distinguished from normal humans by the greenish nimbus. In the rightmost part of the image is another servant girl holding a camara, or a tail of yak, which she moves for refreshment.

fol. V10v, painting: The main subject is god Śiva teaching Devī in the left upper corner of the picture. Down, the couple has their respective vāhanas, i.e. vehicles, bull for Śiva, (whose name is Nandī) and who likely gave the name to the present purāṇa, and the tiger for the goddess. On the right side there is an old yogi with white hair who came to worship the couple. More to the right - there is another yogi sitting, while down the picture we have an idyllic scene of yogis swimming and resting near the water.

fol. 5v, verses 1-7.[speakers:] īśvarovāca // naṃdī uvāca //
Painting: Image features an elevated place where Śiva and the goddess are sitting in front of each other. They are being refreshed by Gaṇeśa fanning them. On the red carpet in a row are sitting various kinds of gods, humans and demons, 7 figures from left to right : a son of Śiva called Skanda, Viṣṇu, Brahma, two human looking kings, a demon, a yogi. In the down right corner there is another yogi with white hair. As on the previous image, the water appears to come from the mouth of a cow/bull, and it is certainly a reference to a sacred place in the Himalayas, i.e. the Kedārnāth and Gomukh.

fol. 6v, painting: Features one of the sacred places in the Himalayas. We see two temples: one of Devī in the top right corner. In front of the temple are two groups of religious ascetics, yogis. One group is sitting in front of their leader who is cooking something in the pot. Another group, holding pots is walking on the road. In the right most part of the picture there is a white elephant and what appears to look like a white moon-sickle, or a skull-bone. The second temple has a black animal, probably a bull rushing inside of it, like as if going inside the solid rock. In front of that there are again two groups of ascetics. One is sitting near the pond, the other, all with tridents - standing.

fol. 9r, painting: On the left side kings worship śivaliṅga in the temple. Near the temple are many birds and fish in water, with śaiva ascetics on both sides. On the right part of the picture, where the yogis arrive to the separation of 3 road, sits an ascetic, like as if marking a passage between two separate divisions of the world. Indeed, in the right side live gods: Śiva on the top with Devī, Skanda and Gaṇeśa, in the middle part - Brahma, and down - Viṣṇu.

fol. 10v, painting: City, in the middle of which there is a śaiva temple, in which the yogis and the king worship śivaliṅga.

fol. 11r, painting: The worlds of yogis and gods. To the left - the worlds where the yogis are engaged in practice or swim in the river. On the right - celestial cities of Viṣṇu in the upper part up and of Brahma - down.

fol. 12r, painting: Same city as on the before-last picture. Just the city is now filled with divine beings inside and outside as well. Gopīs, i.e. cowherd girls are dancing outside the city walls, Kṛṣṇa is playing flute inside, Nandī (a bull-headed figure) plays music together with human musicians.

fol. 12v, painting: Again similar city to the previous image. Main difference is in mapping of water outside of the city, and the fact that god Viṣṇu worship śivaliṅga inside the city.

fol. 14v, text, verses 57-64.[speaker:]rājo uvāca.
Painting: Picture down the page: a yogi sits in the middle. Behind him, on the right are women and animals; in front of him two tigers are drinking from the lake, and 5 yogis arrive from the left.

fol. 15r, painting: The city of nāgas, i.e. of supernatural serpents considered to be the holders of esoteric lore. In the middle of the city there is a temple with śivaliṅga around which there are nāginīs and serpents.

fol. 15v, painting: City of nāgas close up. The śivaliṅga is now being worshiped by gods: Brahma and Viṣṇu, the king of the city is also present. All company is surrounded by female serpents, nāginīs. More gods arrive by air on the vimānas, i.e. aerial cars.

fol. 16v, painting: Yogis arrive towards the building composed of two stores, the down one is probably a palace or living space, while on the roof there is a small śaiva temple with a liṅga. Yogis worship the liṅga, Nandī and women playing music.

fol. 18r, text, verses 108-116, painting: Picture down, featuring yogis going to the right, headed by Nandī, three kings, and a group of another yogis.

fol. 18v, painting: Yogis reach destination, and worship śivaliṅga in a temple, which does not belong to a city. Yogis swim in pond, Nandī stands with his musical instrument, while from the left side of the picture arrives god Śiva himself, accompanied by the goddess, both sitting on the white bull. God Śiva is being greeted by women.

fol. 19v, painting: Yogis taking meal on the left side. On the right side there is an oval with 3 parts, each standing for one of the three worlds of the Hindu mythology: downworld, that of serpents, of which the principal is Śeṣanāga; middle world - that of animals and humans, and the upper world, that of gods. There we see a divine king to whom comes Nandī.

fol. 34r, text, verses 17-28.[Colophon of the chapter 13:]iti śrīnaṃdīpurāṇe īśvaraskaṃdhasaṃvāde kedārakalpe trayodasodhyāyaḥ // 13.
Painting: Five yogīs go towards a single yogi sitting in the mountains and accompanied by a tiger and a peacock. He is addressed in the text as ācārya, i. e. preceptor.

fol. 34v, painting: Yogis arrive to a city high up in the mountains and receive an audience with the king.

fol. 35r, painting: Yogis meet a large number of noble people, nāgas, and even a couple of demons, each couple sitting in their respective chariot.

fol. 35v, painting: Yogis receive audience with a king near a fountain.

Chapter 15: Painting: Picture down: 5 yogis walk. In the top right corner a yogi sits on the mountains with a tiger.

fol. 37r, painting: Yogis worship śivaliṅga, which is installed on a platform, itself situated on a pond. On the left side we see many couples of kings and queens in their chariots. Pond is full of fish, crocodiles and turtles.

fol. 50v, painting: Yogis see again that oval figure with the triple world presented as the three layers of it. All that is going on inside a city.

fol. 51r, painting: Picture separated into 2 parts. On the left we see a mountains, in the cave of which the yogis are engaged in yoga practice, while on the top sits Naṇdī accompanied by women-musicians and kings. In the right part of the picture we see a city in which these same five yogis receive an audience with the king. Down part of the city has a śivaliṅga being adored by a brāhmin, there is also Gaṇeśa teaching other brāhmaṇa, and a yogin engages in tapas, i.e. extreme physical practice: he is suspended upside down over a burning fire.

fol. 59v, text, verses 56-65.[speakers:]ācāryovāca, ācāryovāca.[Colophon of the chapter 22:]iti śrīnaṃdīpurāṇe śaṃbhuskaṃdhasaṃvāde kedārakalpe dvāviṃsodhyāyaḥ // 22
Painting: The 5 yogis come again to the ācārya, i.e. preceptor, who is still sitting on the same mountain, just now with two tigers and accompanied by women.

fol. 60r, painting: A city high in the mountains, in which women worship a female deity; accordng to the position of the lotuses, it is a form of Lakṣmī. Towards the gate of the city arrives a procession consisting of the groups of yogis and kings. In the right part of the picture, in a mountain temple, women and Nandī worship śivaliṅga.

fol. 61r, painting: Yogis see Śiva and a multitude of women on chariots looking like boats. In the down left corner of the picture, another group of yogis is standing near a tree, and the preceptor is picking some flowers.

fol. 66r, text, verses 69-73.[Colophon of the chapter 24:]iti śrīnaṃdīpurāṇe kedārakalpe siddhākailāśaprāptonāma caturviṃsodhyāyaḥ // 24.
Painting: A palace, on the roof the yogis see two people standing near a column, other two worshipping śivaliṅga. In the rooms of the palace kings and women amuse themselves on the swings.

fol. 66v, painting: A city. In the palace the king and the queen, sitting in separate chambers are being cared by the servants. In the middle - the yogis are being greeted by women. Down in the picture, in three separate small chambers, men and women worship śivaliṅga.

fol. 67r, painting: Yogis arrive to a paradise like garden, and worship there śivaliṅga. In this garden, the other yogis are engaged in the mantra-repetition, other yogis swim in the river. The kings look at all that while being hidden in the trees.

fol. 67v, painting: The yogis that where doing japa, i.e. mantra-repetition, in the previous picture now instruct the kings in a chamber, while the group of five yogis arrives to the joining point of four roads.

fol. 79r, text, verses 79-91, painting: Yogis come again to the same ācārya sitting in the mountains and accompanied by a tiger.

fol. 79v, painting: Yogis and kings receive an audience in the palace of Śiva, where they meet Viṣṇu, Śiva, Parvatī [left to right], and Brahmā.

fol. 80r, painting: Yogis arrive to a palace of a divine king (judging by aura around the face) by an aerial chariot, i.e. they are upgraded to the state of siddhas, i.e. realized beings.

fol. 80v, painting: Yogis receive an audience with Viṣṇu. in the same city there are now two Nandī-like beings, and plenty of women and yogis.

fol. 81r, painting: Yogis and kings receive now an audience with Brahma.

fol. 81v, painting: [The last picture of the mss:] Yogis arrive on the aerial chariot to the palace of king, who most likely is Yamarāja, i.e. god of Death. All around the palace, animalheaded hellish creatures torture sinners in various ways.

Flyleaf: Writing in arabic script, probably in Urdu language. Some numbers within it are written in Devanagari: 155 and 10. A name is written in Devanagari, partly unreadable: Xprītālālacandra. XXXX.

Acquisition du manuscrit: This very same manuscript appeared in Sotheby's according to The Burlington Magazine, of November 1960, p. xiii, saying: "Nandi Purana or Kedarakalpa. Indian manuscript in Sanskrit, eighteenth century", the featured folio is that of 10v of our mss.
Manuscript was acquired by Martin Bodmer, in January 1961 (fol. N13r).

New Catalogus Catalogorum. An alphabetical register of Sanskrit and allied works and authors. Madras: University of Madras, 1949-[2016]. v. 1-39 (Madras University Sanskrit Series). NCC 9 (1977), 334-335.

Whitmore, Luke. In Pursuit of Maheshvara: Understanding Kedarnath as Place and as Tirtha. By Luke Whitmore, (B.A., Haverford College, 1995 M.T.S., Harvard Divinity School, 1999.) (Advisor: Laurie L. Patton, Ph.D.) An abstract of A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Division of Religion West and South Asian Studies, 2010.